The mitigating effect of strategic behavior on the net benefits of a direct load control program

Demand response is an important tool for utilities to manage load during peak periods. While the effects of demand response programs on peak load reductions are well studied and intuitive, assessments typically fail to recognize the potential for off-peak behavioral responses that may mitigate the total benefits of the program. Using smart meter consumption data on residential air conditioning units enrolled in a direct load control program, this paper examines the changes in consumption prior to and after curtailment events. The results suggest substantial increases in off-peak consumption, which reduce energy, monetary, and environmental benefits of the program by over 40%.     

Watts your usage? A field study of householders’ literacy for residential electricity data

Smart metering studies typically focus on quantifying behavior change. However, little is known about how users understand energy information and analyze and interpret feedback from energy data visualizations. To investigate this, we gave 13 participants from nine UK households an electricity power clamp meter. Prior to installing and using the device, we conducted interviews with participants to gauge their understanding of their home electricity consumption and found that participants varied considerably from limited to substantial energy literacy. Two weeks after the clamp meter had been installed, we conducted a contextual inquiry in which we asked participants to explain the web-based time series visualization of their recorded electricity data. We found that the visualization proved unfit: participants relied on memories and suggested likely routines, while widely being unable to reliably identify specific events in the data visualization. In follow-up interviews 3 months later, we found that participants’ understanding of their home electricity consumption had hardly changed. Finally, we invited participants to generate ideas how smart electricity feedback could be optimized. They named different forms of disaggregation, higher temporal resolution, and interactivity as design requirements. In summary, these results suggest that people find home energy data very difficult to understand and link to everyday actions and behaviors.     

Is disaggregation the holy grail of energy efficiency? The case of electricity

This paper aims to address two timely energy problems. First, significant low-cost energy reductions can be made in the residential and commercial sectors, but these savings have not been achievable to date. Second, billions of dollars are being spent to install smart meters, yet the energy saving and financial benefits of this infrastructure – without careful consideration of the human element – will not reach its full potential. We believe that we can address these problems by strategically marrying them, using disaggregation. Disaggregation refers to a set of statistical approaches for extracting end-use and/or appliance level data from an aggregate, or whole-building, energy signal. In this paper, we explain how appliance level data affords numerous benefits, and why using the algorithms in conjunction with smart meters is the most cost-effective and scalable solution for getting this data. We review disaggregation algorithms and their requirements, and evaluate the extent to which smart meters can meet those requirements. Research, technology, and policy recommendations are also outlined.     

A new IoT‐based smart energy meter for smart grids

The significant increase in energy consumption by the growth of the population or by the use of new equipment has brought big challenges to the energy security as well as the environment. There is a need that consumers can track their daily use and understand consumption standards for better organizing themselves to obtain financial and energetic efficiency. With the improvement of smart networks technology for better energy supply, a smart meter is not just a simple measurement gadget anymore, but it has additional functions including smart equipment control, bidirectional communication that allows integration of users and networks, and other functionalities. Smart meters are the most fundamental components in smart power grids. Besides, the meters used with a management system can be utilized for monitoring and controlling home appliances and other gadgets according to the users' need. A solution of an integrated and single system should be more efficient and economical. Smart measurement systems allow monitoring the energy consumption of the final consumers while providing useful information about the energy quality. The information provided by these systems is used by the operators to enhance the energy supply, and different techniques can be also applied for this end, such as charge scheduling, management from the demand side, and non‐intrusive load monitoring. The Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming a great ally in the management of smart distribution and energy consumption in smart systems scenarios. To address these issues, this paper proposes and demonstrates a new smart energy meter following an IoT approach and its associated costs and benefits. The developed device incorporates several communication interfaces. In order to easily integrate with any monitoring software solution, the meter has a multi‐protocol connection. Finally, the provided solution is validated and demonstrated in real‐life environments and it is also under use.     

户外典型环境的智能电能表远程自动实时监测系统研究

文章建立高严寒、高干热、高海拔、高盐雾及高湿热的“五高”智能电能表现场运行监测系统,系统中电能表之间采用并联模式以使负载平衡,运行电能表采用模块化配置,设计周期试验方案并测试在典型环境下长时间运行的电能表性能,检验电能表的电能计量、事件参数等功能的稳定性和可靠性。梳理积累的电能表故障和误差数据,分析不同环境因素对电能表故障和误差的影响。     

A methodology for detection and classification of power quality disturbances using a real‐time operating system in the context of home energy management systems

Demand‐side management comprises a portfolio of actions on the consumers' side to ensure reliable power indices from the electrical system. The home energy management system (HEMS) is used to manage the consumption and production of energy in smart homes. However, the technology of HEMS architecture can be used for the detection and classification of power quality disturbances. This paper presents low‐voltage metering hardware that uses an ARM Cortex M4 and real‐time operating system to detect and classify power quality disturbances. In the context of HEMS, the proposed metering infrastructure can be used as a smart meter, which provides the service of power quality monitoring. For this type of application, there is a need to ensure that the development of this device has an acceptable cost, which is one of the reasons for the choice of an ARM microprocessor. However, managing a wide range of operations (data acquisition, data preprocessing, disturbance detection and classification, energy consumption, and data exchange) is a complex task and, consequently, requires the optimization of the embedded software. To overcome this difficulty, the use of a real‐time operating system provided by Texas Instruments (called TI‐RTOS) is proposed with the objective of managing operations at the hardware level. Thus, a methodology with low computational cost has been defined and embedded. The proposed approach uses a preprocessing stage to extract some features that are used as inputs to detect and classify disturbances. In this way, it was possible to evaluate and demonstrate the performance of the embedded algorithm when applied to synthetic and real power quality signals. Consequently, it is noted that the results are significant in the analysis of power quality in a smart grid scenario, as the smart meter offers low cost and high accuracy in both detecting (an accuracy rate above 90%) and classifying (an average accuracy rate above 94%) disturbances.     

高级量测体系及其在需求响应中的应用

针对智能电网用电环节建设的主要内容,概述了高级量测体系中智能电表、双向通信网络、量测数据管理系统和用户信息显示平台四大组成部分,着重介绍了通信网络的分层布局.调研了国外高级量测体系在需求响应中的应用情况,并归结为基于电价的需求响应、基于用电信息的需求响应和家庭智能设备的远程控制三类,为我国智能电网用电环节建设提供了参考.     

浅析现阶段智能电表的特点及发展方向

电表是用计量用电度数,结算电费的装置。智能电表更是在原有的基础上对电表的功能和用途做了改革,使其在智能化应用和功能上更加完善,本文结合作者多年的智能电表相关工作经验,在阐述智能电表定义、优点的基础上,对未来智能电能表的设计、应用、检测提出了明确的建议和思考,希望对行业发展有所帮助。     

关于智能电网发展的几点思考

  [目的]  为了理清智能电网作为新一代能源体系核心平台的相关概念和发展思路。  [方法]  利用文献综述法梳理了微电网、泛能网和能源互联网的概念及其与智能电网的关系。结合我国的能源发展现状和战略需求,探讨了我国智能电网的建设思路和重点。  [结果]  智能电网是传统电力系统和现代信息技术的深度融合,而能源互联网是智能电网和互联网思维模式、技术的深度融合。智能电网是能源互联网的基础平台,微电网、泛能网、智能电网和能源互联网都以实现更加清洁、高效、灵活的用能为目标。  [结论]  智能电网建设应在强调高压侧智能化控制的同时,同步建设智能配电网,鼓励以多能互补为核心的泛能网的发展。     

采用RFID标签的智能铅封技术研究

为解决传统电表铅封技术防伪性能较弱的问题,采用物联网RFID标签实现智能铅封技术,具有良好的防窃电信息化管理效果。通过分析现有铅封的主要弊端,结合RFID电子标签的技术原理,从RFID标签智能铅封和智能铅封读写器的实现方法两方面展开研究,提出了全闭环的智能铅封信息化技术,防窃效果很好。     

PV self-consumption optimization with storage and Active DSM for the residential sector

With the rising prices of the retail electricity and the decreasing cost of the PV technology, grid parity with commercial electricity will soon become a reality in Europe. This fact, together with less attractive PV feed-in-tariffs in the near future and incentives to promote self-consumption suggest, that new operation modes for the PV Distributed Generation should be explored; differently from the traditional approach which is only based on maximizing the exported electricity to the grid. The smart metering is experiencing a growth in Europe and the United States but the possibilities of its use are still uncertain, in our system we propose their use to manage the storage and to allow the user to know their electrical power and energy balances. The ADSM has many benefits studied previously but also it has important challenges, in this paper we can observe and ADSM implementation example where we propose a solution to these challenges. In this paper we study the effects of the Active Demand-Side Management (ADSM) and storage systems in the amount of consumed local electrical energy. It has been developed on a prototype of a self-sufficient solar house called “MagicBox” equipped with grid connection, PV generation, lead-acid batteries, controllable appliances and smart metering. We carried out simulations for long-time experiments (yearly studies) and real measures for short and mid-time experiments (daily and weekly studies). Results show the relationship between the electricity flows and the storage capacity, which is not linear and becomes an important design criterion.     

Electricity theft: Overview,issues, prevention and a smart meter based approach to control theft

Non-technical loss (NTL) during transmission of electrical energy is a major problem in developing countries and it has been very difficult for the utility companies to detect and fight the people responsible for theft. Electricity theft forms a major chunk of NTL. These losses affect quality of supply, increase load on the generating station, and affect tariff imposed on genuine customers. This paper discusses the factors that influence the consumers to steal electricity. In view of these ill effects, various methods for detection and estimation of the theft are discussed. This paper proposes an architectural design of smart meter, external control station, harmonic generator, and filter circuit. Motivation of this work is to deject illegal consumers, and conserve and effectively utilize energy. As well, smart meters are designed to provide data of various parameters related to instantaneous power consumption. NTL in the distribution feeder is computed by external control station from the sending end information of the distribution feeder. If a considerable amount of NTL is detected, harmonic generator is operated at that feeder for introducing additional harmonic component for destroying appliances of the illegal consumers. For illustration, cost–benefit analysis for implementation of the proposed system in India is presented.     

The British public’s perception of the UK smart metering initiative: Threats and opportunities

Consumer acceptance of smart meters remains crucial in achieving the potential carbon emission reductions offered by advanced metering infrastructures. Given this, the present research used deliberative focus groups to examine what is needed to secure acceptance and engagement from domestic consumers with services, products and ‘offers’ in smarter power systems. Our findings suggest that consumers are able to identify not just threats relating to smart metering initiatives but opportunities as well. In particular, our focus group participants responded positively to the idea of an automated system that could be used to achieve energy savings in combination with time-of-use tariffs. We conclude by outlining suggestions for policy recommendations that may help consumer acceptance of smart meter enabled services be more readily achieved.     

Toward a hydrogen society: Hydrogen and smart grid integration

Hydrogen has an important role as a smart solution for Smart Grid, as it can play as an energy vector, a storage medium, and a clean fuel cell. The integration of Hydrogen and Smart Grid can minimize the impact on the environment while maximizing sustainability, which indicates that we are developing toward a hydrogen society. There have been already many studies on different aspects of this topic. For a better understanding of the related work, this paper proposed a comprehensive overview of the related work on the integration of Hydrogen and Smart Grid. Related literature is organized and analyzed from four categories, including Hydrogen energy in smart grids, Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, Hydrogen economy in smart grids, and Models for energy system in smart grids. And each subject has been introduced more carefully. What's more, for a clear understanding for readers, we provide overall scenario views for the organization of the related work.     

The question of energy reduction: The problem(s) with feedback

With smart metering initiatives gaining increasing global popularity, the present paper seeks to challenge the increasingly entrenched view that providing householders with feedback about their energy usage, via an in-home-display, will lead them to substantially reduce their energy consumption. Specifically, we draw on existing quantitative and qualitative evidence to outline three key problems with feedback, namely: (a) the limited evidence of efficacy, (b) the need for user engagement, and (c) the potential for unintended consequences. We conclude by noting that, in their current form, existing in-home-displays may not induce the desired energy-reduction response anticipated by smart metering initiatives. Instead, if smart metering is to effectively reduce energy consumption there is a clear need to develop and test innovative new feedback devices that have been designed with user engagement in mind.     

Smart grid: hope or hype?

The smart grid is an important but ambiguous element in the future transition of the European energy system. The current paper unpacks one influential national vision of the smart grid to identify what kinds of expectations guide the work of smart grid innovators and how the boundaries of the smart grid are defined. Building on data from a scenario exercise within a large Danish smart grid project, we examine how the smart grid and the conditions for its realization are defined and delimited. Our findings show that the smart grid hype embodies several implicit expectations that serve to guide research and investment and to attract new players into the field. A scenario process such as that demonstrated in this article can serve to articulate some of these implicit assumptions and help actors to navigate the ongoing transition. On the basis of our analysis, European policymakers might consider how their (intentional or unintentional) choices serve to create or maintain certain boundaries in smart grid development: for example, an exclusive focus on electricity within the broader context of a sustainable energy system. As serious investment starts being made in the smart grid, concepts like the supergrid, flexible demand and a broader smart energy system will start competing with each other.     

HIES: Cases for hydrogen energy and I-Energy

With the increasing demand for electricity, more and more fossil fuels are used to generate electricity which leads to energy shortage and environmental pollution. Therefore, using Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) and developing sustainable smart grid have become a common global priority: Since RESs, like solar and wind energy, are inherently unstable, hydrogen energy, as a completely clean new energy, has received widespread attention: I-Energy, which combines information and energy, is a new research direction in smart grid. Furthermore, the household electricity usage accounts for 41% of the total power consumption. Therefore, Household Intelligent Electricity System (HIES), combining hydrogen energy and i-Energy, becomes smart solutions. In this paper, we review the scientific literature for hydrogen energy and i-Energy on HIES, including recognition of electricity appliances, establishment of power consumption model, human activity analysis, smart interactive terminal, home energy management system, distributed power supply and district coordinated power utilization. Finally, we summarize the challenges and give the solutions concerning HIES, and this work can give a useful reference to new energy used model and environment protection.     

Fostering active network management through SMEs’ practises

Managing the electricity network through ‘smart grid’ systems is a key strategy to address challenges of energy security, low carbon transitions and the replacement of ageing infrastructure networks in the UK. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have a significant role in shaping patterns of energy consumption. Understanding how their activities interrelate with changes in electricity systems is critical for active network management. A significant challenge for the transformation of electricity systems involves comprehending the complexity that stems from the variety of commercial activities and diversity of social and organizational practises among SMEs that interact with material infrastructures. We engage with SMEs to consider how smart grid interventions ‘fit’ into everyday operational activities. Drawing on analysis of empirical data on electricity use, smart metre data, surveys, interviews and ‘energy tours’ with SMEs to understand lighting, space heating and cooling, refrigeration and IT use, this paper argues for experimenting with the use of practise theory as a framework for bringing together technical and social aspects of energy use in SMEs. This approach reveals that material circumstances and temporal factors shape current energy demand among SMEs, with ‘connectedness’ an emergent factor.     

The construction of a comprehensive multidimensional energy index

Energy system is a crucial component of an economy. Measuring the performance and healthiness of energy system is very useful to decision makers. A well-designed energy index could serve such a purpose. Due to complexity of energy system in an economy, we have yet seen a widely accepted and comprehensive energy index in the literature. In this paper, we develop a comprehensive multidimensional energy index (CMEI) based on the harmonic average of multiple sub-indices. We show that CMEI possesses good analytical properties. Using the data from the United States and China, we demonstrate the applicability of CMEI and test some of its desirable properties. Our conclusion is that CMEI can be used in time-series and cross-regional diagnosis and comparison of energy systems and serves as a simple and handy tool for policy makers.     

Smart energy solutions with hydrogen options

We are in an era where everything is now requested to be smart. Here are some examples, such as smart materials smart devices, smartphones, smart grid, and smart metering. In regard to energy portfolio, we need to make it in line with these under smart energy solutions. With the developed cutting-edge technologies and artificial intelligence applications, we need to change the course of action in dealing with energy matters by covering the entire energy spectrum under five categories, namely, energy fundamentals and concepts, energy materials, energy production, energy conversion, and energy management. It is important to highlight the importance of a recent event. On 17 January 2017 a total of thirteen leading energy, transport and industry companies in the World Economic Forum in Davos (Switzerland) have launched a global initiative, so-called: Hydrogen Council, to voice a united vision and long-term ambition for hydrogen to foster the energy transition. It has aimed to join the global efforts in promoting hydrogen to help meet climate goals. This is a clear indication that smart solutions are not possible without hydrogen options. This study focuses on introducing and highlighting smart energy solutions under the portfolio pertaining to exergization, greenization, renewabilization, hydrogenization, integration, multigeneration, storagization, and intelligization. Each one of these plays a critical role within the smart energy portfolio and becomes key for a more sustainable future. This study also focuses on the newly developed smart energy systems by combining both renewable energy sources and hydrogen energy systems to provide more efficient, more cost-effective, more environmentally benign and more sustainable solutions for implementation. Furthermore, a wide range of integrated systems is presented to illustrate the feasibility and importance such a coupling to overcome several technical issues. Moreover, numerous studies from the recent literature are presented to highlight the importance of sustainable hydrogen production methods for a carbon-free economy.